Just An Earth-Bound Misfit, I
by Lothiriel84
Summary: On the Kinsey scale, he would say he was a four – four point five, maybe. - The title is a reference to the song Learning To Fly by Pink Floyd. For Momotastic.


On the Kinsey scale, he would say he was a four – four point five, maybe. However, the odds were slightly more in his favour as far as women were concerned; sometimes their maternal instincts kicked in, leading to a grand total of three ex-girlfriends as opposed to no ex-boyfriends at all.

Luckily he found it quite easy to focus on his passion for flying, forgetting about his depressing and virtually non-existent love life. The unrequited crush for his first officer he thought he could handle; Douglas Richardson was a happily married man, no matter that Helena was his third wife, and Martin would never allow himself to go there.

It was on a particularly lonely night that he strolled into a bar, looking for a much needed distraction; Douglas was away on a solo flight, and he couldn't decide whether he felt more bored or depressed.

He surely wasn't expecting a gorgeous woman to start flirting outrageously with him. When he woke up the next morning she was already gone; that was when he realised he hadn't even asked her name.

xxx

Douglas had forgotten the present he'd got for his wife in the flight deck, and Martin decided it was only fair that he stopped by on his way home. He wasn't particularly keen on meeting his first officer's other half, but he resolutely pushed the uneasy feeling to the back of his mind; he simply had to do anything within his power to save Douglas' anniversary, no matter how painful the idea of said anniversary was in the first place.

However, he was completely unprepared to the wave of nausea that hit him as soon as he caught a glimpse of Helena. That was the woman from the bar, the one he'd spent the night with not so long ago; his stomach churned with guilt and horror, all he could do was stand his ground and beat a hasty retreat.

He barely registered the fact that Douglas had referred to him as his first officer instead of the other way round. All he could think about was the cruel irony of the entire situation; the universe truly hated him, he decided as he started his van and drove away as fast as he could.

xxx

Carolyn went as far as promising a pay rise when he announced he was quitting his so-called job. Unfortunately, as much as he needed the money, there was no way he could bring himself to face Douglas after what he'd done; the fact that he'd been blissfully unaware of it at the time didn't actually make it any easier.

He'd accidentally slept with the wife of the man he was in love with, and he wasn't sure whether he was more angry at himself or Helena for that. Part of him suggested that he ought to tell Douglas; a woman cheating on her husband didn't deserve him, or owed him a proper apology at the very least.

The other part told him he had no right to do so; Douglas loved her, and knowing what she'd done would only hurt him. Martin hoped it had been just an unaccountable slip on her part, that she was as much ashamed of it as he was, and that she would make it up to her husband somehow.

When Douglas called in order to try and change his mind about the resignation, he made up an excuse and promptly hung up.

xxx

Martin had honestly no idea how he managed to struggle through for the next couple of months. He got a fair number of van jobs, and made a few half-hearted attempts at applying to other airlines; most of the time he spent in his attic, mulling over the unfairness of life and how much he missed his days at MJN Air.

Then Douglas left a voicemail on his phone, requiring the services of Icarus Removals; he had some stuff he needed to move quite quickly, or so he said, and in the end Martin didn't have the heart to tell him no. His heart sank as soon as he realised the reason why Douglas was actually moving, and guilt hit him full force all over again.

When Douglas took out his wallet in order to pay him, he point-blank refused the money. "I can't accept it," he muttered, stumbling upon every word. "Not when I'm part of the reason why you're moving, that is."

"What are you talking about?" his former first officer demanded, quirking a puzzled eyebrow at him. "I'm getting a divorce, that's why I'm moving."

Martin stumbled all the way back to his van, leaving his baffled friend to stand alone in the doorway to his new flat.

xxx

A couple of days later he was staring with longing at the Air Traffic Control Tower at Fitton airfield, as he always did in between his van jobs, when the sound of a familiar voice caught him completely unaware. "I hoped I would find you here," Douglas announced with a smirk, though his eyes were quite serious. "We have to talk."

"Do we?" Martin shot back way too quickly, only to bite at his tongue immediately after.

"Yes, we most definitely do. I am well aware that you didn't always enjoy my teasing, but I still thought we were friends."

A lump settled in his throat, and he struggled against it. "I'm not sure we were. I don't think we'll ever be."

Douglas furrowed his brow at that. "Is that so?"

"Look, it's quite simple. Friends don't ruin each other's marriage, nor do they have one-night stands with their friend's wife."

"You – what?"

Martin wrapped his arms around his chest, in a vain attempt to protect himself from whatever was coming next. "You heard me. I slept with your wife. My only defence is that I had no idea who she was back then, though I know that doesn't really change anything."

"I see," Douglas replied slowly, then silently walked away.

xxx

He was lying in bed with a low back strain when one of the students informed him he had a visitor. Why Douglas wanted to see him he couldn't quite imagine, unless it was to tell him how disgusted he was; that sounded like the most plausible explanation, and he braced himself to face his friend's righteous anger.

Except that Douglas didn't look angry; worried, more likely – and a touch guilty, which didn't make sense at all. "I'm sorry," he uttered softly, much to Martin's confusion. "I'm afraid the mess we're in is more of my doing than anyone else's."

"In what way?" Martin laughed humourlessly, ignoring the pain that shot through in his back.

"Helena suspected me of having an affair. What she did was payback for my supposed wrongdoings, and I'm terribly sorry that she used you for that."

"Douglas, are you seriously apologising because your wife cheated on you with me?"

"I'm apologising because she thought I was having an affair with you, and that's entirely my fault."

A shocked silence followed; all Martin could do was stare unbelievingly into his friend's eyes, wondering how strong the painkillers he'd taken actually were.

"You mean – what do you mean?"

However, he had a feeling he knew exactly what the other meant. That was why he didn't pull back when Douglas tentatively reached for his hand.


End file.
